


A Christmas Search

by ardentaislinn



Category: Signed Sealed Delivered (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Letters, Military
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 10:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13121730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardentaislinn/pseuds/ardentaislinn
Summary: When the DLO finds a letter from a lonely young woman inviting her military pen pal to spend Christmas with her, it's a race against time to bring the two together before Christmas Day.





	A Christmas Search

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shorina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shorina/gifts).



_ Dear Dan, _

_ I hope you get this in time. Christmas is coming up soon and I don’t know where you’re currently stationed, or even if you’re home already. _

_ I know this is probably too forward of me, since we haven’t known each other long--and we’ve never even met. But this last year of us exchanging letters has meant a lot to me, more than you can know. _

_ In your last letter, you said you didn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with. Well, since I don’t, either, I’d love it if you could spend Christmas with me. We can trim the tree and exchange small gifts and have a nice lunch--I promise I’m a good cook! _

_ Please don’t feel obligated. It would just be nice to have someone to share the day with, if at all possible. But if you already have plans, then I’m glad! _

_ Anyway, I better finish this letter and post it, so it’ll get to you on time. You have my address, so feel free to stop by anytime. _

_ Annie _

 

The four members of the Lost Letters Team were silent for a long moment after Oliver had finished reading the letter.

Shane sighed. “She sounds so lonely. It’s a shame the letter didn’t reach him in time.”

“I think he sounds lonely, too,” Rita added solemnly.

Oliver straightened. “Well, there are still four days until Christmas. Perhaps we can bring them together after all.”

Shane gave him a wobbly smile. “That’s sweet. I hope we can.”

Rita placed a hand on her arm. “If anyone can, it’s us.”

Shane gave her a slight nod, but didn’t feel as hopeful as she did.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Oliver said. “What do we know?”

“Well, Dan is most likely in the military,” Rita replied.

“I’ll see how many Dans and Daniels there are in the United States Military,” Norman offered.

“A lot, I’m sure,” Shane said. She didn’t know why this particular letter was affecting her so much. Perhaps she was empathising with loneliness at Christmas, this year more than most. As Rita and Norman scampered off to do research, Shane eyed Oliver.

“What are you doing for Christmas?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I assume I’ll do something with my father, but we haven’t discussed it yet.”

Shane deflated slightly. “Oh, that sounds nice.” She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice. Oliver eyed her strangely, and Shane figured she’d been more obvious that she’d thought.

Not long later, Rita glanced up. “Well, there are...a lot of Dans in the military,” Rita said, looking disheartened. “We’ve narrowed it down to those who were stationed overseas in the last few months, but there are still a lot. I don’t think we’ll find him this way.”

“No, perhaps not,” Oliver said. “Well, what other clues do we have?”

They congregated around the desk and peered at the letter.

“Maybe,” Shane began, “If we can’t find Dan, we should try to find Annie, instead. She might have more information we can use to narrow down the search.”

“Good idea,” Oliver said, sending her a warm smile that lit her from the inside.

He pulled out the envelope they’d examined earlier. On the front was a ‘RETURN TO SENDER’ sticker over the address, obscuring Dan’s last name and any other useful information. They’d tried to carefully peel it off, but it was too stuck to the envelope and just tore the address further. The envelope had clearly been through a few challenges of its own, looking battered and bruised and a little worse for wear.

“I really hope the ‘Return to Sender’ doesn’t mean he was...you know…” Shane trailed off, unable to say the words  _ Killed in Action _ .

“It won’t,” said Oliver kindly, more to comfort her than to state a fact. But, then, he’d always had more faith than her.

He flipped the envelope over so they could study the personalised sticker that had once held the return address. The pen marks had largely been rubbed off, now leaving only a few readable letters.

He frowned, peering closer, then grabbed a magnifying glass and studied it more.

“I believe those trees around the border of the return address sticker are Colorado Blue Spruce, also known as  _ Picea pungens.” _

“That’s our state tree. So, she’s local,” Rita said, excitement edging into her voice.

“It would appear so,” Oliver replied.

It was a good enough place to start. “I can write a program that will fill in the blanks between the letters, narrowed to women with a name variant of Annie who live in the state, with registered addresses in Colorado that fit the letters and spaces we have. Like playing Hangman. Hopefully it won’t come up with too many possibilities.”

Oliver nodded, and Shane headed to her computer. As she wrote the code to mine data from the postal database, Rita and Norman announced they would look into local programs to write letters to soldiers stationed overseas. It would make sense that was how they’d begun exchanging letters, since Annie had said she and Dan had never met.

An hour later, Shane had three possible matches. “Fewer than I’d thought,” she commented idly. Oliver, Rita, and Norman wandered over and she showed them the page where the three women were listed.

“Are any of them married?” Oliver asked. “That will help us narrow it down.”

Shane checked, and two of the women were currently married. “Looks like we have our winner,” she said, pointing at an Annette Davis in a town called Haven.

“Norman, how long would it take to get there?” Shane asked.

Norman glanced at his map and did a quick calculation. “About two hours.”

Shane checked her watch. “A bit late today. First thing tomorrow?” she suggested.

“Certainly,” Oliver replied, and then Rita and Norman nodded.

Shane smiled, her heart aching for the lonely woman in Haven.

 

~*~

 

Annie Davis lived in a large farm house on the edge of town. Snow scattered her front yard and the endless land beyond the building. The view was bleak, but beautiful in a way, and it made Shane feel for this woman more deeply. She was all alone in this desolate place.

Oliver strode forward and the rest of them followed him up the path to the porch.

Rita came up next to Shane. “What are you doing for Christmas?” she asked.

Shane shrugged. “I’m not sure yet.” Her gaze strayed to Oliver, whose spine stiffened. Had he heard what she’d said?

Oliver knocked on the door. A moment later a woman opened it. She was in her late twenties, with red hair and a cute, girl-next-door look to her.

“Yes?” she asked with a frown.

“My name is Oliver O’Toole, and I’m with the United States Postal Service. These are my colleagues, Shane, Rita, and Norman.”

Her frown deepened. “How can I help you?”

Oliver held up the opened letter that had led them to her door. “We work in the Dead Letter Office, and this came past our desks.”

Tears gathered in Annie’s eyes. “Oh, I see.”

“May we come in?”

She nodded as if in a daze and stepped back from the door. She wore jeans and a warm Christmas sweater of white and navy. The house was cool as they stepped inside, and Shane saw the fireplace in the sitting room was unlit. There were no Christmas decorations in sight--not even a tree.

“Please, have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the room Shane was studying. “I’ll get us some tea.”

She disappeared through a door quicker than Shane would have expected. When she heard a loud sniff from the direction of the kitchen, Shane realised the woman had needed a moment to compose herself. She felt a deep stab of sympathy.

Annie returned a few minutes later with a tray. A smile barely touched her lips, but there was no evidence of her tears.

She took the last remaining chair in the large room, and Shane wondered how often this large house had visitors.

“So, that’s why he never replied?” Annie asked as she wrapped her hand around a warm cup of tea. “It’s not because he didn’t want to come, but because he was--”

She broke off on a choked sob. Shane leaned forward and gripped her hand. “We don’t know that,” she said, squeezing tightly. “We just know it was returned. It’s possible he was already back in the states and didn’t leave a forwarding address.”

Annie took a deep, shuddering breath. “Oh.” She blinked back her tears.

“We still want to deliver the mail to its rightful recipient,” Oliver said. “So we came here searching for more information in the hopes we could help you.”

“That’s very kind,” Annie said. “But surely that’s not your job. Now that you’ve returned it to sender, haven’t you done more than could be expected?”

Shane smiled at her. “Our first priority is to the intended recipient. We have to exhaust all possibilities in delivering the letter to Dan before we can return it to you.” That wasn’t strictly true, but she was sure that all of them agreed they wanted to find Dan for this woman, and maybe for his own sake, too.

“And you’re sure he’s not…” she trailed off.

“We’re not completely sure,” Oliver hedged.

“But it seems unlikely,” Shane finished.

Annie nodded and straightened her spine. “So, how can I help? What do you want to know?”

“What’s Dan’s last name?” Shane asked.

“Garcia,” Annie said promptly.

“Not an uncommon name,” Rita commented. “Is there anything else you can think of that might help us find Dan, particularly if he didn’t leave a forwarding address?”

“Like what?” Annie asked, looking more eager by the minute.

“Like, did he mention any names of people he was serving with? Which branch of the military is he in? Anywhere he might have property, where he might go if he was state side? We’re just worried that if the military returned to sender instead of forwarding it on, he may not have left an address.”

Annie shook her head sadly. “He doesn’t own any property. He says that between deployments he usually stays with friends. He’s got no family left, you see.”

Shane nodded sympathetically. “And do you know who those friends are?”

Annie shook her head. “No, sorry; he’s not allowed to tell me much.” Then, her eyes changed. “Wait, I might have something.”

She jumped up and went to the mantel above the cold fireplace. She beelined for a small, ornately carved box. When she opened it, letters sprang out, a few falling to the floor. Shane moved to help her, but Annie had scooped them up into her arms like treasures before Shane could get there.

Annie sorted through the letters before producing one. “Here it is. He said he has a friend called Major Dunlop. I assume that’s his superior officer.”

“Okay, that’s a great help, thank you.”

Annie nodded. “Do you think you’ll find him?”

Shane gave her an empathetic smile. “We’ll try our absolute best.”

They said their goodbyes and left to head back to the office. Shane was distracted the whole way, wondering if Annie would have someone to celebrate Christmas with.

And would  _ she _ ?

 

~*~

 

Finding a Major Dunlop that had been the commanding officer of a Dan Garcia had been easy enough. Getting ahold of him was another matter. According to their various phone calls, he was still overseas and didn’t have regular access to phones or the internet.

“Only two days to Christmas and we don’t have a solid lead,” Shane said sadly to no one in particular.

But Oliver must have heard her. “Have faith,” he murmured to her, and the words made her feel a little bit better. If he still had hope, then so would she.

Rita and Norman were still working, trying to find a forwarding address for Dan Garcia, but it was pretty clear he hadn’t left one. Shane wasn’t sure what they’d do if Major Dunlop didn’t get back to them in time, since they had nowhere else to look. But like Oliver said, she had to keep believing.

The phone call they’d been waiting for finally arrived on Christmas Eve morning. They’d congregated in the office for one last attempt to find Dan before the deadline.

“Hello, I’m Major Dunlop. I hear you guys have been trying to reach me.”

“Yes, hello. My name is Oliver O’Toole,” Oliver told him, and then explained the situation with the letter. “I presume you know Dan Garcia?” he finished.

“I do,” Major Dunlop confirmed. “He’s in my unit, but on leave at the moment. But I’m not sure how I can help you. He didn’t tell me where he was going over Christmas. All he mentioned was a winter carnival his grandparents took him to when he was a kid, but I don’t know anything more. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Shane let out a sigh. “A winter carnival, huh? There’s got to be loads of them.”

“But only one in the town Dan grew up in,” Rita said with a tentative smile.

Shane straightened. “With his grandparents?” she confirmed. Rita nodded. She must have picked that up when she’d been searching for Dan’s forwarding address.

“You’re a genius,” Shane said excitedly. “Where is the carnival and when does it run?”

“It’s in a small town called Newberry just south of here. It runs all week leading up to Christmas, until midnight tonight.”

Shane checked her watch. Mid-morning. There was still time. “So, let’s go.”

Oliver hesitated a moment. “Are you sure this is how you want to spend your Christmas Eve?” he asked.

“I can’t think of a better way,” she told him. And it was true. She didn’t have anywhere else to be, and if she couldn’t be with someone on Christmas, then she could at least bring others together.

“All right,” Oliver said. “Then let’s go. Rita and Norman, you two don’t have to come if you have other things to do.”

Rita and Norman shared a look. “Of course we’re coming,” Rita told them with a smile.

The four of them piled into the car and they headed south.

“I hope he’ll be there,” Shane said. “He might have gone on an earlier day.”

“A long shot is still a shot,” said Oliver.

“Rita, did you bring a picture so we’ll recognise him?”

Rita handed a small picture of a handsome man in his earlier thirties to Oliver and Shane in the front of the car. He was wearing his dress uniform, standing proudly in front of an American flag. His skin was darkly tanned, and Shane figured he was Latino, which was no surprise given his name. Shane couldn’t help thinking he and Annie would make a very cute couple, if only they could make it work. But what better time for such a miracle than at Christmas?

They finally made it to the winter carnival in the afternoon, after a stop for lunch to prevent Norman’s stomach from growling.

The carnival was so much bigger than Shane had expected, and dread crept in. How were they going to find this man?

“We’ll have to split up,” she said, and the others agreed.

An hour or two later, Shane was beginning to feel disheartened. She hadn’t seen any hint of Dan Garcia anywhere. They probably gotten the wrong day, or the wrong time, or even the wrong carnival. It had been a long shot, but she’d thought they’d be able to pull off their Christmas miracle.

She spotted Oliver near a stall of handmade jewellery and went over to say hello. He was just leaving as she reached him, clearly having had his fill of browsing the wares.

“Any luck?” she asked.

He shook his head. “You?”

“No.” She sighed. “Should we go? Or wait a little longer?”

“A little longer,” Oliver suggested. “Perhaps we could even take the time to look around while we’re here.”

“Yes, I suppose then it won’t be a wasted trip.” She pasted on a smile.

Oliver held out his elbow and she took it. The two of them wandered through the carnival, keeping an eye out for Dan even as they walked. Soon Shane relaxed enough to play a few of the carnival games and tried to get Oliver to play with her. It didn’t work, but he smiled more than he had in a long time, so Shane was satisfied.

When dinner time rolled around, Shane and Oliver met up with Rita and Norman to gorge themselves on the local food. But after they’d eaten, the melancholy settled over Shane again. “I think we should head back to the city,” she suggested, and the others reluctantly agreed and they all headed towards the front gate.

As they reached it, a man brushed past them with his head down. Something about him was familiar, and as he disappeared into the crowd, she realised what it was. She’d been picturing his face all day, comparing it to other men she’d passed.

“Dan!” she called after the retreating stranger, who didn’t stop. “Dan Garcia!”

The man froze and slowly turned. It was definitely him.

Joy welled up in Shane and she hurried forward with a grin on her face. “Dan Garcia, we’ve been looking for you,” she said as she reached him.

Oliver came up beside her. “I’m Oliver O’Toole from the United States Postal Service, and I believe we have a letter that belongs to you.”

It took some convincing, but finally the four of them led Dan to a quieter part of the carnival, in a tent that had previously been used for the pie eating contest. Now, it was empty, allowing them enough quiet to explain the situation to Dan and,  _ finally _ , deliver his letter.

“She wants to spend Christmas with me?” Dan asked in awe as he stared at the letter.

“Yes,” Shane confirmed. He looked so touched to be invited that Shane was sure Annie wouldn’t have a lonely Christmas this year.

“But surely it’s too late?” Dan said. “This letter was sent almost a month ago.”

Shane shook her head. “No, we saw her just the other day. And she’d absolutely love to see you.”

He grinned, pleasure lighting his face. “I didn’t know she, well…” He trailed off and stared at the letter again. “Do buses run tonight, does anyone know?”

Norman shook his head. “None that would get you to Haven tonight, or even tomorrow morning. They usually run once a week.”

“Oh,” said Dan. “I don’t have a car. Never seems much point to buy one if I was just going to be deployed again.”

Shane hesitated for all of a second. “I’ll take you,” she said. “I can drop these guys off on the way if we go through Denver, then--”

“No,” Oliver interrupted. Shane turned to him with a frown, ready to argue, when he continued. “I’ll go with you.”

“As will I,” said Rita, and Norman nodded.

Shane laughed in relief. “It’ll be a tight squeeze in the back of the car.”

“I don’t care,” Dan said. “As long as I get to Annie.”

Shane’s heart melted. She had no doubt that this man was in love with Annie, whether he knew it or not.

 

~*~

 

The drive ended up taking them closer to two hours than three, since few people were on the roads on Christmas Eve. They pulled up outside Annie’s front door just before ten at night.

They got out of the car, and Dan stared up at Annie’s huge house with trepidation. “I hope she hasn’t gone to bed,” he said.

But a light was shining through the sitting room window, and Shane figured there was every chance she was still awake.

“Shall we go?” Oliver suggested.

Dan hesitated for a moment, then appeared to steel himself before nodding.

The five of them made it up the front steps and Oliver knocked on the door. They heard some movement from inside the house and they all waited with bated breath. Finally, the door swung open, revealing Annie in cute Christmas-themed pyjamas and fluffy reindeer slippers.

“Oh, what are you guys doing here?” she asked.

“We’ve brought you your Christmas present,” said Shane. 

She stepped to the side so the light from inside the house fell on Dan.

“Hi, Annie,” he said softly, moving forward. He was tense, clearly bracing himself for rejection, but his expression as he looked at Annie for the first time was one of pure adoration. Shane’s heart skipped a beat as she waited for Annie’s response.

“ _ Dan? _ ” she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. “Oh, Dan!”

With that, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tight. Dan squeezed his eyes shut and hugged her back.

After a long moment, they pulled apart, but their eyes stayed locked on each other.

“I hope you’ll forgive me,” Dan said. “But I’ve been waiting to do this for a very long time.”

He cupped her face in his palm and leaned down slowly. Annie didn’t wait for him to reach her, she met him halfway, pressing their lips together.

Shane placed a hand over her heart and sighed in delight. She loved a happy ending.

She, Oliver, Rita, and Norman turned to make their way down the porch steps. Before they made it back to the car, Annie called from behind them.

“Wait!”

They turned to see her hurrying down the steps.

“Thank you,” she told them breathlessly. “For all you’ve done.”

Shane grinned. “You’re more than welcome.”

And she was. Even if Shane would be alone for Christmas, someone else out there wouldn’t be, and that meant a lot to her. It went a long way towards assuaging the ache in her heart.

 

~*~

 

Christmas morning dawned brightly. Snow had fallen the night before, giving a fresh coat of white to the earth beyond her bedroom window.

Shane rose, got ready for the day, and then wondered if there was any work she could do to make the day pass more quickly. She couldn’t go into the office--it was locked tight--but surely there was something on her laptop she could work on.

The doorbell rang, startling her out of her thoughts.

She headed to the front of the house to open it, wondering if it was too early for carolers.

But it wasn’t carolers on the other side of the door, it was Oliver. And not just him, but his father, Norman, Rita, and Rita’s parents. Their arms were laden with gifts and food and they were all grinning.

“What are you doing here?” Shane asked, overwhelmed.

“Surprise! We weren’t going to let you be alone for Christmas.”

Shane’s heart melted. “This was your plan all along?”

“Of course,” said Rita. “You didn’t think we’d abandon you? We’re family.”

Not knowing what else to say, and totally choked with emotion, Shane stepped aside and let everyone inside.

They exchanged gifts--including a beautiful bracelet that Oliver had picked up from the market for her last night--and ate the food everyone had brought. Most importantly, they laughed, and talked, and bonded.

And it was a perfect Christmas Day.


End file.
